IBL News

Category: Top News

  • Data Shows that Remote Work Is Disappearing: Less than 10% Work at Home

    Data Shows that Remote Work Is Disappearing: Less than 10% Work at Home

    IBL News | New York

    The share of people working remotely from home for pay due to the COVID pandemic dipped below 10% for the first time in more than two years, according to new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics released this month.

    The exact figure was 7.7%. The pandemic high was 35% in May 2020.

    People with a bachelor’s degree were five times more working from home than those without.

    Asians were the most of any demographic to report working from home due to the pandemic, with nearly 20% working remotely. Less than five percent of Latinos answered the same.

    More women than men report working remotely for pandemic reasons, though the difference between the two groups has narrowed from 10 percentage points in May 2020 to 1 percentage point.

    Among age groups, those 25 to 34 years old were the most likely to work remotely.

  • AI-Powered Platforms that Detect Plagiarized Content Online Attract Investors

    AI-Powered Platforms that Detect Plagiarized Content Online Attract Investors

    IBL News | New York

    AI-powered plagiarism detection is gaining momentum.

    Utilizing natural language processing (NLP) technology boosted by machine learning algorithms looks like a smart approach, rather than using the traditional word-for-word match approach to detect plagiarism is what new companies such as Stamford, Connecticut-based Copyleaks are doing.

    This week, this company announced that it raised $6 million in Series A funding. The financing was led by the Israeli venture capital firm JAL Venture.

    Copyleaks said that it will use the capital raised “to expand its presence across industries, safeguard its intellectual property, and continue to provide cutting-edge AI solutions,” according to a press release. “Copyleaks’ main differentiator will be distinguishing plagiarism across languages, such as from English to Spanish, and scanning for a writer’s stylistic voice.”

    Currently, the firm works for organizations such as Oakland University, SEMrush, and UNICEF. Education.

    “Our use of artificial intelligence allows for a very comprehensive text originality analysis, copyright infringement detection, and AI grading,” said the company.

  • A San Antonio School District Will Allow Qualified Teachers to Carry a Firearm

    A San Antonio School District Will Allow Qualified Teachers to Carry a Firearm

    IBL News | New York

    A district school in San Antonio, Texas–area will allow qualified teachers and staff members to carry a concealed firearm on campus.

    This is part of the so-called “Guardian Program” unanimously approved by the Board of Trustees this month.

    The school is La Vernia High School, a small district 25 miles east of San Antonio.

    To become a guardian, teachers and staff members would need to already have a license to carry and complete 20 hours at a firing range and 20 hours of classroom training.

    In addition, they would need to pass annual psychological exams and take random drug tests.

    Aside from this Guardian Program, Texas schools can also have one school marshal who can carry a firearm.

     

  • Over 300 Students Will Graduate from BU Questrom’s Online MBA

    Over 300 Students Will Graduate from BU Questrom’s Online MBA

    IBL News | New York

    The Boston University’s Questrom School of Business Online MBA on edX.org, once considered the “biggest experiment” ever run in the institution’s history, was presented as a huge success this month.

    The first graduates [three of them in the picture above], who will get their degrees tomorrow, on May 22, 2022, say that the program has changed their lives.

    A total of 308 students are on track to graduate this May. At least one-third of them are expected to pick up their degrees in person. The graduates’ average age is 39, they hail from 43 nations, and a third of them are women.

    This Online MBA took nine-month gestation before its launch in the fall of 2020. The full cost of the degree was $24,000, a quarter of the typical in-person program price tag.

    Now, the Dean of the school says that “the experiment has exceeded our expectations on all fronts.”

  • Class.com Acquires Blackboard’s Collaborate Virtual Video Tool

    Class.com Acquires Blackboard’s Collaborate Virtual Video Tool

    IBL News | New York

    Class Technologies Inc., which manages class.com, announced yesterday the acquisition of Blackboard’s Collaborate virtual classroom tool, owned by Anthology and used by 1,750 educational organizations.

    In addition, Class Technologies Inc. said, without providing further details, that “it will become the preferred virtual meeting technology partner to Blackboard.”

    The acquisition is expected to close in Q2 of 2022. The amount paid for Blackboard Collaborate was $210 million, disclosed Techcrunch in a story endorsed by Class by retweeting it on its official account.

    Blackboard Collaborate became part of the Anthology product suite following the company’s purchase of Blackboard last year. Class.com was created by Michael Chasen, co-founder of Blackboard, in 1997. The start-up soon reached a whopping valuation of a unicorn after raising substantial funding from private equity VCs.

    After closing, Blackboard Collaborate will be renamed Class Collaborate, and 50+ employees that work on this tool will join Class.com.

    The two companies said in a press release that “they will also partner to build a tight integration between Blackboard Learn and Class to promote student success.” 

  • 2U / edX Creates Two University Advisory Councils Following the Former Partners’ Board

    2U / edX Creates Two University Advisory Councils Following the Former Partners’ Board

    IBL News | New York

    2U, Inc. (Nasdaq: TWOU), the parent company of edX, announced yesterday the creation of two university advisory councils to help further the company’s mission and business strategy.

    The University Leadership Council (ULC) includes presidents, provosts, and chancellors from 230 nonprofit colleges and universities. This council is a reconstitution of the former edX Advisory Board.

    Their members include:

    • Cynthia Barnhart, Provost, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    • Malte Brettel, Vice Rector, RWTH Aachen University
    • Chris Clemens, Provost, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
    • Reginald DesRoches, Provost and President-Elect, Rice University
    • Wayne A.I. Frederick, President, Howard University
    • Alan Garber, Provost, Harvard University
    • Ellen Granberg, Provost, Rochester Institute of Technology
    • Benjamin E. Hermalin, Provost-Elect, University of California, Berkeley
    • Jean Morrison, Provost, Boston University
    • Rob Mudde, Vice-Rector Magnificus/Vice President Education, Delft University of Technology
    • Mamokgethi Phakeng, Vice-Chancellor, University of Cape Town
    • Jennie Shaw, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), The University of Adelaide
    • Deborah Terry AO, Vice-Chancellor and President, The University of Queensland
    • Bin Yang, Provost, Tsinghua University
    • Charles Zukoski, Provost, University of Southern California

     

    The University Partner Advisory Council (UPAC) is comprised of academic leaders, digital transformation, and education strategy managers from across the combined 2U and edX partner network.

    • Bharat N. Anand, Vice Provost, Harvard University
    • David Bach, Dean of Innovation and Programs, Institute for Management Development
    • Nelson Baker, Dean of Professional Education, Georgia Institute of Technology
    • Stephanie Berzin, Vice Provost, Simmons University
    • MJ Bishop, Vice President for Integrative Learning Design, University System of Maryland
    • Larry Bouthillier, Executive Director of Extended Learning, University of British Columbia
    • Cathy Breen, Managing Director, Harvard University
    • Peter Decherny, Director of the Online Learning Initiative, University of Pennsylvania
    • Chris Dellarocas, Associate Provost, Boston University
    • James DeVaney, Associate Vice Provost for Academic Innovation, University of Michigan
    • Jim Gazzard, Director of Continuing Education, University of Cambridge
    • Jay Gladden, Associate Vice President, Indiana University
    • Eric Grimson, Chancellor for Academic Advancement, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    • Peter Hirst, Senior Associate Dean, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management
    • Carlos Jensen, Associate Vice-Chancellor, University of California, San Diego
    • Josh Kim, Director of Online Programs and Strategy, Dartmouth College
    • Caroline Levander, Vice President for Global and Digital Strategy, Rice University
    • Carissa Little, Associate Dean for Global and Online Education, Stanford University
    • Ian Mortimer, Associate Provost, Rochester Institute of Technology
    • Mike Nichol, Associate Vice Provost, University of Southern California
    • Todd Nicolet, Vice Provost, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
    • Oliver O’Reilly, Interim Vice Provost, University of California, Berkeley
    • Clay Shirky, Vice Provost, New York University
    • Dave Smith, Associate Provost, Pepperdine University
    • Vasanthi Srinivasan, Chairperson of Digital Learning, IIBM Institute of Business Management
    • Willem van Valkenburg, Executive Director of the Extension School, Delft University of Technology
    • Caroline Williams, Director of Open Programmes, University of Oxford
    • Kwok-yin Wong, Vice President (Education), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

    “These university councils, alongside our existing Corporate Advisory Board, allow 2U and edX to further tap into our partners’ collective knowledge and experience as we build a global education platform that drives greater access to high-quality learning programs for everyone, everywhere,” said Anant Agarwal, edX founder, 2U Chief Open Education Officer, and MIT professor.

  • MIT Sloan CIO Symposium Selects Key Leaders and Features Innovative Start-Ups

    MIT Sloan CIO Symposium Selects Key Leaders and Features Innovative Start-Ups

    IBL News | New York

    Over 265 attendees are expected at MIT Sloan CIO Symposium, which will take place on May 22 – 23 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It will be a mix of people from both academia and the industry, organizers told IBL News.

    The gathering will address topics that are at the intersection of business and technology, as reflected on the agenda. The featured theme will be “Digital Ecosystems: Reshaping the Future of Business”.

    The Symposium has selected four finalists for its 15th Annual MIT Sloan CIO Leadership Award.

    • Vagesh Dave, Global VP & CIO at McDermott International, Ltd
    • Manoj Kumbhat, CDO & Global CIO, Kimberly-Clark
    • Wafaa Mamilli, Chief Information and Digital Officer, Zoetis
    • James McGlennon, EVP and CIO, Liberty Mutual Insurance

    The winner will be announced on May 22, 2022. “The leadership and innovation demonstrated by our finalists will be instrumental in accelerating digitalization and shaping the future of business,” said George Westerman, Award Co-Chair.

    The key characteristics of CIO leadership are adapted from the award-winning book The Real Business of IT: How CIOs Create and Communicate Value, which draws extensively upon research conducted at MIT Sloan.

    The event will follow a hybrid format. The Symposium will include the Innovation Showcase, highlighting ten early-stage companies with cutting-edge solutions that combine both value and innovation in Enterprise IT. They are start-ups with less than $10 million in 2021 annual revenues.

    • Attestiv – Natick, MA
      Attestiv provides authenticity and validation for digital photos, videos and documents using patented tamper-proofing blockchain technology and AI analysis.

    • Dexai – Boston, MA
      Dexai builds a robotic sous chef named Alfred, a lightweight robot arm that retrofits into existing kitchens and automates most activities.

    • Einblick – Cambridge, MA
      Einblick’s no-code data boards help teams work together in real time to analyze data, predict the future, and make data-driven decisions.

    • Ion Channel – Alexandria, VA
      Ion Channel is a software supply chain risk management platform that identifies and monitors third-party security risk from software suppliers (vendors, outsourced app developers, and open source).

    • iQ3Connect – Woburn, MA
      iQ3Connect’s cloud XR platform empowers enterprises to transform expensive in-person training into cost-efficient interactive virtual training accessible on the web.

    • Julia Computing – Cambridge, MA
      Julia Computing products harness the power of Julia to advance data science and scientific discovery.

    • Modzy – Vienna, VA
      Modzy is a software platform that unlocks the power of AI for the enterprise.

    • Prisma – Buenos Aires, Argentina
      Prisma is a B2B algorithmic unified platform that drives revenue growth by combining price, assortment, and space planning optimization.

    • Snowplow – Boston, MA
      Snowplow is built from the ground up to enable organizations to create data for AI and advanced analytics, creating a data stream capable of powering their modern data apps.

    • Wabbi – Boston, MA
      Wabbi’s Continuous Security platform integrates with existing development workflows to empower Development teams to own AppSec, while giving Security accountability.

    Organizers note that Innovation Showcase winners have been acquired by leading companies. Bonsai was acquired by Microsoft; CloudSwitch was acquired by Verizon; Rypple was acquired by Salesforce.com; and Yammer was acquired by Microsoft for $1.2 billion, among others.

  • Degreed Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary, Claiming to Be the First LXP

    Degreed Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary, Claiming to Be the First LXP

    IBL News | New York

    Degreed.com announced yesterday its 10th anniversary, through a PR-driven press release claiming to be “the world’s first Learning Experience Platform (LXP), a new category of SaaS technology developed by David Blake and Eric Sharp as part of their mission to revolutionize the way people learn and track their learning.”

    The Pleasanton, California – based start-up said that “with its platform, employees gain knowledge and turn it into skills.”

    “Degreed set out in 2012 to ‘jailbreak the degree’ or to break the perception of the college degree being the de facto way of measuring education and skill; we believe people should be lifelong learners,” added David Blake, co-founder and Chair of the Board at Degreed.

    “People are learning all the time, whether you’re watching a YouTube video, or reading a blog, or listening to a podcast. And there hasn’t been a good way to evidence that knowledge. Degreed gives us an opportunity to do that,” stated ATB Financial Vice President Banking Operations, Paul Norris.

    Degreed claims to serve eight million users and 400 corporate customers. “There have been more than 17 million skill ratings made through the platform.”

    Degreed’s partnerships include Skillsoft, Pluralsight, and Harvard University, as well as new relationships with Anders Pink, Cybrary, Ethena, DataCamp, Learn In, TED@Work, and The Ken Blanchard Companies.

    Partnerships with Credspark, Credly, and Watershed provide assessments, recognition, and data visualization in the Degreed LXP. The recent alliance with Filtered improves the personalized delivery and curation of learning content to Degreed.

    Degreed Intelligence, launched in November 2021, helps understand skills demand, and supply, using pre-built tools to remove the need for a dedicated data insights team.

  • The New York Times Against Canceling Student Debt, which Reached $1.7 Trillion

    The New York Times Against Canceling Student Debt, which Reached $1.7 Trillion

    IBL News | New York

    Over 45 million people carry $1.7 trillion in student debt, most of it owed to the Federal Government.

    Given this fact, should the U.S. Government cancel student debt?

    According to a New York Times editorial article, that is “a bad idea” and “such a move is legally dubious, economically unsound, politically fraught, and educationally problematic.”

    “Canceling this debt, even in the limited amounts that the White House is considering, would set a bad precedent and do nothing to change the fact that future students will graduate with yet more debt — along with the blind hope of another, future amnesty,” writes The Editorial Board of The New York Times.

    As a candidate, Joe Biden said he supported congressional action to tackle student debt. Now, he is considering canceling it through an executive order.

    To date, his Department of Education has taken steps to alleviate some of the loans for borrowers who are unable to pay and forgiven the debts of some students defrauded by for-profit schools. Throughout the pandemic, borrowers have been forgiven the interest that accrued on their loans each month, in addition to not having to pay down the principal of the loan. The Biden administration has extended the pause several times, and it is now set to expire on Aug. 31.

    According to The Times, the moratorium on payment of federal loans, which make up more than 90 percent of all student debt, has already cost $100 billion and has canceled the equivalent of $5,500 in debt per borrower.

    The White House is considering various proposals for debt cancellation, possibly with income-based limits for eligibility.

    “Lawmakers should also consider making it easier to discharge student loans through bankruptcy, a measure of relief that is available for credit card and mortgage debt.” Changes to bankruptcy law in 2005 have also made those protections less accessible.

    Since 2021 the Biden administration has approved more than $18.5 billion in loan discharges for more than 750,000 borrowers.

    President Biden said at an April press conference that he was considering canceling “some” student loan debt.

    “The Biden administration should focus on confronting the problems with college affordability and loan repayment, so more students and graduates have a better chance at that prosperity,” the editorial board concluded.

  • An Op-Ed Calls to Rename George Washington University for Its “Systemic Racism”

    An Op-Ed Calls to Rename George Washington University for Its “Systemic Racism”

    IBL News | New York

    Should we start renaming universities?

    The Washington Post proposed this in an op-ed, written by a senior at George Washington University, Caled Francois, proposing to rename the university  because “racism has always been a problem at GW.”

    Two proposed names to rename the university are Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth (abolitionists) as well as Malcolm X.

    “At the university’s founding in 1821, enrollment was restricted to White men. In 1954, then-university president Marvin employed numerous efforts to preserve segregation, arguing for a ‘homogenous’ group of White students.” (…) “In 1987, Black students organized to demand more visibility in a predominantly Black city where Black students were outnumbered by huge majorities. Today, with Black enrollment at about 10 percent, Black students on campus continue to struggle for community. Despite alleged efforts by administration to enhance diversity, the admissions office continues to fail to ensure a student body with adequate minority representation.”

    “These problems are rooted in systemic racism, institutional inequality, and white supremacy”

    This op-ed author demanded four items: “Decolonized university curriculum, increased Black enrollment, the renaming of the university and the selection of an African American President.”

    “An African American at the helm would reflect a new chapter in university politics. Such a decision would demonstrate the university’s commitment to strength through diversity and serve as a reflection of the university’s pledge to racial justice,” he wrote, noting GW University has never had a Black president in its 200-year history.

    In addition to renaming the university, the author insisted its main campus, Mount Vernon Campus, needs to be stripped of its name since it’s named after Washington’s former slave plantation. It was also suggested that the Winston Churchill Library “must go” as well as the school’s moniker, mascot, and “Hail Thee George Washington” motto.

    “The work of this university to uplift the ideals of universal humanism and break its ties with white supremacy and systemic racism must be done with effort, dedication, and painstaking excellence,” he wrote.